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Past and predicted future effects of housing growth on open space conservation opportunity areas and habitat connectivity around National Wildlife Refuges

November 1, 2016

Context

Housing growth can alter suitability of matrix habitats around protected areas, strongly affecting movements of organisms and, consequently, threatening connectivity of protected area networks.

Objectives

Our goal was to quantify distribution and growth of housing around the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wildlife Refuge System. This is important information for conservation planning, particularly given promotion of habitat connectivity as a climate change adaptation measure.

Methods

We quantified housing growth from 1940 to 2000 and projected future growth to 2030 within three distances from refuges, identifying very low housing density open space, “opportunity areas” (contiguous areas with

Publication Year 2016
Title Past and predicted future effects of housing growth on open space conservation opportunity areas and habitat connectivity around National Wildlife Refuges
DOI 10.1007/s10980-016-0392-8
Authors Christopher Hamilton, Matthias Baumann, Anna Pidgeon, David P. Helmers, Wayne Thogmartin, Patricia J. Heglund, Volker C. Radeloff
Publication Type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Series Title Landscape Ecology
Index ID 70179083
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
USGS Organization Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center
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